Too Many People

"Everyone of eligible age, get on board immediately for aptitude testing!"

So noisy. Am I not dead? ... Ahab Gul rubbed his temples and struggled to open his eyes, instinctively taking in his surroundings.

A gloomy gray sky, stone-built row houses, a harbor dotted with seagulls and swallows—it certainly didn't look like home.

He was leaning against an oak barrel. It seemed he'd just dozed off for a little while.

Could it be that I've crossed into another world? ... Memories flooded back, and Ahab felt as if his brain were splitting with pain, like a parasite was wriggling around inside it.

This was Graz Port, the largest port city in the southwest.

Every ten years, wizards sailed across the ocean to select people of eligible age with wizarding aptitude.

At that moment, a sleek mechanical ship floated on the sea, utterly at odds with the medieval atmosphere around it.

The original owner of this body was one of those eligible candidates. Afraid to leave home, he'd hidden at the docks to drink away his worries, only to find himself more and more unable to breathe the more he drank...

Ahab was speechless for a second, then cursed without a trace of politeness in his mind:

What a useless idiot!

Thinking back to before he'd crossed over, he hadn't been some small-town exam-taking success, either. He'd started out at a no-name university.

But he'd still carved out a career for himself through ruthlessness and shamelessness.

Unfortunately, in the end, he'd met his end at the hands of an enraged nobody. He'd woken up here after spilling blood five paces away.

With supernatural powers, he wouldn't have to worry about that kind of thing.

Ahab straightened his dark red hair and headed for a gangplank.

A long line had already formed there for aptitude testing.

"Put your hand on the crystal ball."

A male apprentice in a black robe stood on the boarding deck.

He looked young, but the metal nameplate on his chest made his identity clear:

First-Rank Wizard Apprentice, New Blood Apprentice Mentor, Gray.

At that moment, a boy at the very front of the line on the gangplank held out both hands and touched the crystal ball floating in midair.

"9 points of spiritual power, third-rank meditation talent."

Gray made out the levels of light in the crystal ball and said impassively:

"Your room is in the middle section, room 648."

With aptitude like that, even if he worked hard, he'd only have a chance of becoming a Second-Rank Apprentice. Recruiting him wouldn't amount to much of an achievement.

The line on the white gangplank moved forward, and another girl held out both hands. Blinding light surged from the crystal ball.

"15 points of spiritual power, fifth-rank meditation talent!"

That was the highest aptitude one could be born with. If she became a Formal Wizard in the future, the recruiter would earn a large amount of Academy Contribution.

Gray's tone softened somewhat, and he pointed up and behind him.

"You can stay in the top cabin. Once we reach the academy, I'll make sure you receive priority access to resources."

"On board, you deserve a private room and your own washroom."

Seven or eight more candidates came forward, but none of them were selected.

Before long, Ahab reached the front of the gangplank.

"Put your hand on the crystal ball!"

Ahab pressed his palm against the cold crystal ball. Suddenly, his eyebrow twitched, as if he'd sensed something.

Looking at the faint glow of the crystal ball, Gray, a First-Rank Apprentice, froze. His face looked like it had a giant "disgusted" written all over it.

"6 points of spiritual power, second-rank meditation talent..."

This aptitude barely scraped past the minimum passing standard. He'd need a lot of luck just to become a Third-Rank Apprentice.

A few years ago, candidates like him would have been used as fertilizer.

"I'm bringing fewer and fewer apprentices under my name. My Academy Contribution is almost at the bottom... Forget it. One more is better than none."

Gray, a First-Rank Apprentice, waved impatiently and decided he wouldn't give Ahab any resources once they reached the academy.

"Bottom cabin, bottom cabin! Room 404."

Ahab pocketed his identity card and strolled onto the deck without a care.

In his previous life, he'd entered through North Burma and exited through South Vietnam, then gone gold prospecting in Africa. He was a tough man who'd made his way through more than a dozen countries—cunning, shameless, and unyielding.

So what if he'd started behind everyone else? At least he had a chance to come into contact with the supernatural and make waves.

Ahab was just about to check out his cabin when a tiny black speck suddenly appeared in front of him.

No, that wasn't right. The black speck rapidly expanded, eventually turning into a thick book.

The book had a plain grayish-white cover, without a title or any decoration. Instead, it bore a bloody handprint that looked fresh.

Before Ahab could do anything, the thick book's cover opened by itself, revealing the first page:

[February 25. My first day after crossing over.]

[All of a sudden, I had a feeling I should organize my experiences since crossing over into a diary.]

[At my current level, there's no such thing as coincidence in my eyes. I can't rule out that someone is trying to lure me in, but it's more likely a warning from a wizard's true spirit—I've decided to start writing immediately, in my own unique script.]

"Is the writing in here Chinese?"

Ahab was puzzled for a second, then a deep sense of wariness welled up inside him.

Ever since he'd crossed over, everyone had spoken in a language based on individual words, something like the Germanic language family. No one spoke Chinese.

And given the description of crossing over... was this a diary left for him by his future self?

Without moving his head, Ahab rolled both eyes to the right, then quickly to the left, cautiously observing his surroundings.

He confirmed that no one else was paying attention to him. Only then did he raise his gaze, pretending to look at the seabirds as he controlled the diary with his mind and floated it upward.

[Aside from the usual food and drink, this ship has also, rather 'exceptionally,' brought along several barrels of rum, and they've been laced with poison.]

[Stealing from and harming one another's students is a common trick among Wizard Academies.]

[Quite a few people were too shy to drink on the ship to the academy... but overall, the group still lost more than half its members.]

[With fewer people to divide the resources among, my early days went fairly well, even though my aptitude was poor.]

[The poison in the liquor is a virus, similar to smallpox. Once you've caught it, you're no longer in danger. The original owner of this body died because he secretly drank some before boarding...]

Oh, no wonder I woke up in front of an oak barrel after crossing over.

But what does it mean that my future self wrote this?

Aptitude, priority access to resources, Academy Contribution, one more is better than none...

Ahab thought for a moment, then the corner of his mouth rose by a single pixel.

"Thanks, me."

"Half the people are going to die from the poison? As someone who's crossed over, how could I stand by and watch such a tragic parting?"